June Meeting: Dismas House

In early June, RCC Nashville members held their first in person gathering since the COVID outbreak with a tour of Dismas House, which has the mission to “foster community awareness and understanding of the challenges and obstacles formerly incarcerated men face upon reentry by providing a system for personal transformation and growth as they transition back into society,” according to its website. Dismas House operates under the slogan “Dismas is Family,” and welcomes each person into their space as a new member of the Dismas Family, helping all who are under their care so they can make a return to society after incarceration.

The brand-new facility was absolutely beautiful and each aspect of the building was created intentionally, from the color scheme to the custom staircase which was directly inspired by the original home where Dismas was started. 

Virtual May 2020 Meeting: Presentation Skills for Leaders

In early May, RCC Nashville held its second virtual zoom meeting on the topic of “Presentation Skills for Leaders,” with a seasoned professional who has more than twenty years of communications experience in the fields of journalism and public relations. The Zoom session focused on presentation skills in the age of COVID-19 and helped religious communications professionals gain insight into ways to enhance their speaking skills through the virtual platform.

As we adapt to working remotely, our ability to communicate effectively in virtual meetings and seminars is a critical skill. Attention spans are shorter in virtual meetings. We want to be concise when we speak and intentional in how we facilitate a discussion. Everything from lighting to camera angles and dress are factors in how we’re perceived by others.

Led by Mimi Bliss of Bliss Communications, RCC members took part in a one-hour interactive workshop via Zoom to prepare leaders to communicate effectively in virtual meetings, including how to:

- Speak with confidence. Adjust your camera angle, background, lighting and wardrobe for a professional look. Use gestures and voice to maintain the attention of your audience.
- Sharpen Your Message. Connect with your audience; replace minimizing words such as “I’ll talk a little bit about” with flag phrases like “Our goal is;” and focus on your main points and concrete examples.
- Engage Your Audience. Set clear expectations, “chunk” your information, and use intentional questions to engage your audience.
- Tools for Success. Use PowerPoint, White Board, Breakout Rooms and other tools to engage your audience.

Mimi Bliss founded Bliss Communications in 1997 with a focus on the core leadership skill of public speaking. She works in a range of industries, including healthcare, automotive, government, economic development, utilities, retail, financial services, and nonprofit. Mimi speaks frequently at industry conferences on the topics of presentation skills and working with the news media.

Mimi has more than twenty years of communications experience in the fields of journalism and public relations. She was an on-camera reporter for ABC and NBC television affiliates and a freelance producer for the Today Show and NBC Nightly News. She also served as a corporate spokesperson for a major restaurant company and managed media relations for a hospital system.

Virtual April Meeting 2020: How do we as faith leaders keep our communities accurately informed about COVID-19?

Rolling with the times, RCC Nashville held its first virtual zoom meeting this month on the topic of “keeping people informed during global pandemics,” and had almost a dozen religious communicators join in the conversation. Together, the shared challenges they have faced and overcome and the many resources they’ve found that are invaluable during these unprecedented times.   

February Meeting: Podcasting for Your Brand

The February RCC meeting took place at United Methodist Communications with special guest Jamie Dunham who co-hosts The Lipstick Economy Podcast.

 During the meeting, Jamie went over the reasons that there are now 800,000 podcasts:  

• 51% of adults have listened to a podcast• 32% of adults have listened to one in the past month• Mobile podcast listenership has grown 157% in past 4 years• Less crowded content channel• More engaged. More time spent than blog readers!!!!• Listeners can multi-task while they listen• Spotify, Apple and Pandora are vying for podcast audiences• Alexa knows and loves podcasts• Growth in time spent with podcasts and the majority of new podcast listeners - women• One out of 5 listeners has attended a live podcast event

The Lipstick Economy Podcast that Jamie co-hosts is about marketing to women through the stories of leaders - leaders who are making a difference through their insight, strategy, diversity and creative thinking. The Lipstick Economy is composed of the 100 million women in the US who make 85% of all consumer purchases.

Jamie wrapped up the meeting by discussing what has worked for their podcast since its launch in the Fall 2019.

• It takes commitment and consistency• Booking guests takes a lot of time• The production is best left to professionals• Leverage your guest's audience as part of your marketing plan• With re-sharing, episodes can continue to grow in listenership• iTunes is where it's happening now & reviews are important• Social postings are important for our audience• Guest on other podcasts 

January Meeting: DayBreak Discussion

The January RCC meeting was the launch of a new series called DayBreak Discussions. Members gathered over coffee at the Cookery on 12th Avenue to discuss everything from politics and religion to personal matters and life events. Going forward, these discussions will typically happen once every quarter and will take place over breakfast to help energize your day.    

December Meeting: Year in Review 2019

The final meeting of our year was a nice get together at the Cookery on 12th Avenue South to review each of the year's meetings and determine a course going forward.

It was found that tours were a very popular type of meeting, followed by professional development. It was also suggested that a more conversational type of meeting be included in a rotating schedule for 2020. So the various meeting types in 2020 will be
~ Daybreak Discussions: Morning meetings over coffee with interesting conversation about hot topics
~ Professional Development: lunch meetings with a speaker going over a specific communications skill
~ Faith Crossings: visits to places that are inspired by faith in their work, be it educational, non-profit, or even small business

We've enjoyed spending 2019 with all of RCC Nashville and are looking forward to an even greater 2020!

Happy New Year!

November Meeting: Glencliff United Methodist Church

The November meeting of RCC took place at Glencliff United Methodist Church, where RCC members and guests heard from Rev. Ingrid McIntyre about the micro home village that was built on the church's property to help serve the homeless population. The specific population they plan to serve with the 22 homes are those coming out of the hospital with absolutely nowhere else to go to recover. This is to help ensure homeless people aren't returning to the streets after such health crises. 

Rev. Ingrid had a candid and personal conversation with RCC members and was able to share the struggles as well as the triumphs to create this micro home community and bring this vision to life. Thank you so much to Rev. Ingrid and all at the Glencliff UMC for having us for a tour and to see the micro home community as it is developing. It was truly inspiring to see so much hard work and faith put into action. 

October Meeting: Tour of the Sri Ganesha Temple

The October meeting of RCC took place at the Sri Ganesha Temple, which was built to provide a place for cultural, educational, and spiritual activities related to Hinduism, to promote inter religious, social, and cultural understanding, and to support humanitarian causes. It was a beautifully ornate facility, even with construction under way to create more authentic Indian decorations built into the temple.

There were 9 attendees, and RCC members began the tour in a community hall hearing from Professor Sankaran Mahadevan, a lay leader within the Hindu community who is also a Civil Engineering professor at Vanderbilt University. Mahadevan cleared up misconceptions about Hinduism with true data such as that Hindus are truly monotheistic, believing in one God who is infinite. They symbolize the characteristics of the infinite God so that people can understand these qualities through the various deities like Ganesha or Vishnu. This also helps them as they focus in on prayer on a specific trait or quality.

RCC members were then able to see the sanctuary and observe Hindu worship services. 

They ended the tour with a group photo outside of the Temple. 

Thanks so much to Mahadevan and all the rest at Sri Ganesha Temple for taking the time out to have RCC for a tour! 

September Meeting: Tour of the Islamic Center of Tennessee

The September meeting of RCC took place at the Islamic Center of Tennessee (ICT), which was established in 2010 with the goal of educating both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Middle Tennessee. Located in Antioch, a community southeast of Nashville, the Carmike Bell Forge Theater was purchased with money raised from the local community and transformed into the Islamic Center of Tennessee.  As the largest Islamic Center in Middle Tennessee, ICT strives to provide unprecedented and professional Islamic and educational services to its parishioners. As the newest and most diverse community in Nashville, ICT aims to unite Muslims upon the true teachings of tolerance and peace from the Qu’ran and Sunnah.

There were 12 attendees, and RCC members began the tour in the worship hall hearing from Imam Anwar Arafat who moved to Nashville just 3 months ago to oversee ICT. He's a Utah native who grew up in a diverse household, and traveled before winding up as the Imam of a Memphis mosque, and of course, now lives in Antioch. 

Sabina Mohyuddin also spoke to RCC members, telling the story of how she helped co-found and now is Executive Director for the American Muslim Advisory Council, a group with the purpose of helping to change the narrative in the media about Muslims and which also helps Muslims realize their civic duties. 

Following the discussion, Imam Anwar gave RCC members a full tour of the center which includes a movie theatre (as the center was previously an actual movie theatre), a gym, a general meeting room which can be used for community events, weddings, etc., and the reception hall, in addition to the worship halls. 

Thanks so much to Imam Anwar, Sabina, Aisha and all the rest at ICT for taking the time out to have RCC for a tour! 

July Meeting: Tour of the New Tennessean Offices

The July meeting of RCC took place at the brand new offices for the Tennessean newspaper in the upper floors of a high-rise on West End Avenue. 

There were 14 attendees, and RCC members convened in the Rutherford meeting room at 11am to hear from Duane Gang, Metro News Editor, and Holly Meyer, Religion Reporter. Duane and Holly spoke to us about the work they do, how they manage & plan stories, and fielded questions.

Afterward, Holly led a full tour of the new office spaces which include absolutely fabulous views of the city, great people and a really neat workspace.

Thanks so much to Holly and Duane for taking the time out from your schedules to have RCC for a tour! 

May Meeting: Paid Advertising Strategies

The May meeting of RCC was held at United Methodist Communications on 12th Avenue South. We had a lunch and learn with guest presenter, Debbie Hill, CEO of Creative Website Marketing on the topic Paid Advertising Strategies for Brand Awareness & How It Can Impact Your Organization.

Debbie Hill founded Creative Website Marketing in 1999 and has both an extensive and impressive history of working with successful start-ups to high-end brands and creating tangible Digital results for clients. A veteran in Digital marketing with over 20 years experience, Debbie has a track record of client longevity in an environment of growing complexity and rapid pace of change. Debbie has been a guest presenter at universities, seminars and regularly educates executives and key stakeholders on new and advanced Digital concepts and strategy solutions.

During her talk, Debbie shared two important tools for finding the best keywords. They were Wordstream and Google Trends. She also pointed out that if you would like to advertise in an application that is going to reach your desired audience, 90% of apps are on the Google platform. As well, Google AdWords can provide a grant for non-profit organizations up to $10,000 in advertising. 

Debbie gave a fabulous presentation on the best practices and ways to utilize advertising to showcase your organization or brand. 

Thank you to United Methodist Communications for being wonderful hosts, and to Debbie for taking the time to share this valuable information with us! 

April Meeting: Putting Research into Action

The April meeting of RCC was held at the Church of Scientology on 8th Avenue South. We had a lunch and learn with two guest presenters: Sheila King & Magda Vaughn. Sheila is CEO & Founder of King Research Solutions LLC, and Magda is the Senior Research Manager at MaritzCX. They gave a fabulous presentation on the best practices for fully utilizing research and how it impacts planning and future projects. 

Due to the interest in their presentation, they have made their PowerPoint available at this link for anyone interested in reviewing the information. 

 

Thank you to the Church of Scientology for being wonderful hosts, and to Sheila and Magda for taking the time to share this valuable information with us! 

March Meeting: The Great Reset

The March meeting of RCC was held at the United Methodist Communications building on 12th Avenue South. We had a lunch and learn with Kalinda Fisher who has created a series of community round tables around sometimes difficult conversations which she has dubbed "The Great Reset." 

The Great Reset centers on monthly conversations. At these meetings, participants discuss a topic of interest, covering a variety areas -- some controversial.

Kalinda says her goal is to create groups like this throughout the community to teach people how to talk, even disagree and still walk away -- friends. And she has succeeded. The Great Reset is now in California, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Tennessee and Ohio.

Kalinda is always welcoming new participants in the Great Reset, and encourages people to start up their own conversations, which she will help to get rolling. To find out how to be involved, contact Kalinda: 

Kalinda Fisher ~ kalinda14@icloud.com
Follow The Great Reset on Twitter & Facebook!

February Meeting: How to Lead When No One Listens

The February meeting of RCC was held at the General Council on Finance & Administration for the

United Methodist Church on Music Row. We had a lunch and learn with Reah Aitkin, the Regional Development Director of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on how to engage volunteers and get participation ...in other words, how to lead when no one listens.

Reah gave a friendly, open discussion on the topic of engaging volunteers. She included tips about the right kind of swag to incentivize, as well as tips on recruitment, and various levels of volunteers (from your one time volunteer to your brand ambassadors and committee members).  

It was a fabulous discussion and all attendees learned so much! A big thank you to Reah for sharing with us, and thank you as well to our wonderful hosts, GCFA! 

To view archives of past meetings, visit the RCC Nashville blog.

Our next RCC meeting is March 5, 2019 from 11:30 - 1:00 with guest presenter Tim Earnhart of Werkshop Branding.

January Meeting: What Makes an Idea Stick

The January meeting of RCC was held at the United Methodist Communications building on 12th Avenue South. We had a lunch and learn with Laura Buchanan, Senior Creative Content Specialist at United Methodist Communications. Her passion for writing, strategic messaging and connecting with audiences comes from a 12-year career in nonprofit fundraising and faith-based communications. 

Her topic on “What makes an idea memorable?” comes from the book, “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.”

Buchanan’s presentation covered six basic ways to make content relevant and interesting: 1) keep it simple and easy to understand, 2) drop in something unexpected to grab attention, 3) make it concrete so they remember, 4) ensure the information is credible, 5) create an emotional connection with the content, and 6) tell a story. 

It was a fabulous discussion and all attendees learned so much! A big thank you to Ms. Buchanan for sharing with us, and thank you as well to our wonderful hosts, UM Com! 

December Meeting: Strategic Marketing

The December meeting of RCC was held at the United Methodist Communications building on 12th Avenue South. We had a lunch and learn with Lori Whitbey, Senior Marketing Specialist for Schneider Electric, who shared 5 ways to make strategic marketing easier. 

The 5 Ways to Make Strategic Marketing Easier: 1) Think, 2) Where do you want to be? 3) Best route to get to the destination, 4) Implement, and 5) Think More. 

She shared a graphic with the concept of Learn-Feel-Do as a way to enlighten, educate and bring awareness to your target audience through conversion. In other words, first bring awareness about your product, service or brand, then educate them on why they would want your product, and finally convert this to actual sales. 

It was a fabulous discussion and all attendees learned so much! A big thank you to Ms. Whitbey for sharing her expertise with us, and thank you as well to our wonderful hosts, UM Com! 

November Meeting: The Importance of Video

The November meeting of RCC was held at the Muslim American Cultural Center in North Nashville. We had a lunch and learn with Judith Black of Upshot Media, who shared the importance of video in communicating your message.

She shared key tips to ensure your message gets across including her main message: have GREAT audio. She said that if the video quality is perfect and the audio is bad, it will look amateur, but if the audio is perfect and the video quality is bad, it will be seen as artistic. The most important point of video is to have excellent audio and your message will land with your audience.

Another key tip she shared was that you want to get your audience to relate emotionally with your message. Your video should have an emotional impact, taking your audience from "So?" to "Oh!" as she put it.

Judith said that those companies using video to market their services or products are growing 49% faster than companies that aren't using video. We live in an audio visual world, and need to produce videos to reach people, especially videos that are 2-3 minutes long at most, since people expect videos to be fast.

Judith is happy to connect with any communicators who want to engage further, and shared her contact info:

Judith Black
Producer/Partner
UPSHOT MEDIA
310-721-0017
www.GetTheUpshot.com
Judith@GetTheUpshot.com

October Meeting: Storytelling in Digital Media

The October meeting of RCC was held at the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church in South Nashville. We had a lunch and learn with Sophia Agtarap, Director of Communications for Vanderbilt Divinity School. 

Sophia shared how to get your message across to the vastly different audiences we are trying to communicate to in today's fast-paced digital world. She also discussed her position with Vanderbilt Divinity School, including sharing a PowerPointon this which included a 4x4 model for knowledge content. This was an excellent visual to see how an idea can spread, be discussed and grow.  

Sophia is happy to connect with any communicators who want to engage further, and shared her contact info: 

sophia.agtarap@vanderbilt.edu
615.322.2442 [office]

September Meeting: Communicating Your Message

The September meeting of RCC was held at the Islamic Center of Nashville on 12th Ave South. We had a lunch and learn with Kalinda Fisher, President of Advocate Market Research. 

Kalinda shared what she does and how she works with panels to discover what people think about certain topics, and how she gives this to her clients so they can use this to achieve better communication with their intended audience. She also shared a recent passion she has been engaged in to bring diverse people to the same table to discuss deep issues. It's been dubbed "The Great Reset," and has the purpose of uniting people together in a time when it feels like news media is pitting us against those who have different views. 

August Meeting: Holly Meyer on Religion Reporting

The August meeting of RCC was held at United Methodist Communications on 12th Ave South. We had a lunch and learn with Holly Meyer, Religion Reporter for the Tennessean. Holly spoke about the changing landscape of religious reporting and the challenges of communicating faith issues through mainstream media.

She gave many personal examples of her experiences in religious reporting including how she came to be a religion reporter -- in fact, she is the only religion reporter in the entire USA Today Network. She said there are other reporters who do write religious stories, but she is the only one with that sole focus. You might think this makes sense as Nashville is termed the "Buckle of the Bible Belt." However, Holly reported that Nashville has practically tied with New York in the percentage of the population that reports "no religious affiliation" with New York's being 22% in 2016, and Nashville at 21%.  (source: The American Values Atlas)

It was incredibly interesting to hear directly from Holly about the challenges of religion reporting today, as well as the best ways to get religious stories into mainstream media. Her suggestion: tying them into other hot topics such as politics, health or climate change.